What a Terrible Way to Begin the New Year
by Uncle Charlie
Summary: Pat wasn't have a good start to the New Year, but Sapphire and Steel weren't exactly having the best of luck either. Written for the Element Flash - January Challenge. Prompt: What a terrible way to begin the New Year.


A TERRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN THE NEW YEAR!

The wind sliced through his jacket and raised goose bumps on his skin. Pat hugged himself tighter in a vain attempt to prevent egress for what little body heat he had left. It didn't work. The wind merely laughed at his attempt and blasted him even harder.

 _Stupid Highway Patrol for picking him up. Stupid bar for over serving him. Stupid friends for making him go out for New Year's Eve._ He'd celebrated by getting arrested, having his car impounded, his license suspected and a huge fine piled on top of that. Now he had to walk to the corner to get the bus to work.

 _What a terrible way to begin the New Year._

Then the idiots at McDonalds gave him Coke instead of Dr. Pepper. He nearly gagged after taking his first swig. _How was he supposed to operate on plain Coke?_ He'd discovered it too late to go back and change it. Pat was already pushing his luck.

 _What a stupid, terrible way to start the New Year._

He saw the red tail lights of the bus and made a run for it, but the bus pulled away leaving him behind. Which was going to make him late for work and his boss had warned him what would happen if he was late one more time.

 _What an idiotic, stupid terrible way to start the New Year._

A sense of motion caught his attention and he squinted. Dawn was trying to crawl over the horizon, but night was fighting it. It made seeing things a bit tricky. It looked like a fight and Pat reached for his cell phone. Maybe he could get some good video and sell it to the local paper or TV station. As he neared, he realized his battery was dying.

 _What an awful idiotic, stupid terrible way to start the New Year._

Still maybe he could catch something. He got close enough to hear the sound of flesh striking flesh and hear the grunts. There was a woman on the ground, barely conscious from the look of it. Of course, dressed the way she was, it was probably better.

The aggressor stood about six foot five as he eyeballed it and he was giving a much smaller guy a thrashing.

"Hey, stupid!" Pat yelled before realizing it. The man turned and he tossed the contents of the mega-gulp soda into his face. The purpose was to give the little guy a chance to at least get back to his feet and away. Or maybe to mount his own attack. He was just hoping whatever it was, it would keep the bad guy from attacking him.

What he wasn't expecting was the man to grab his face and start this odd high-pitched wail. It sounded like a cross between a fire alarm and a hyper alarm clock. With a lurching step, the big guy moved away and disappeared into a nearby alley.

He went to the fallen man, who was struggling to sit up. "Do you need an ambulance, man?"

"Sapphire," the guy muttered, trying to prop himself up.

"What? You're worried about your ring? It's gone, man."

With a grunt, the man pushed him aside and crawled to the woman. He gathered her up into his arms. "Sapphire. Sapphire, you need to wake up. Wake up, now!"

Pat watched the little guy with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Yeah, you're welcome."

"What?"

Now he could see that the man was blond and by his accent, British. "You're welcome," he said again, very slowly. "I saved you from that guy."

"Yes, well, he wasn't a guy."

"That was a girl?"

"That wasn't human." He picked the woman up as if she was nothing but air. "Is there some place nearby?"

This was going to cost him his job. Good thing Pat hated where he was working now. "Yeah, follow me."

 _What a freaky, awful, idiotic, stupid terrible way to start the New Year._

He led the short guy back to his apartment and the man pushed past to gently deposit the woman onto his Goodwill couch.

With a start, Pat realized the place was a pig sty, but the short guy didn't seem to notice. All his attention was focused upon the blonde woman.

"Sapphire, can you hear me?" The man frowned and stared at her as if he was trying to think her awake.

Pat gathered up an armful of dirty laundry, carried it to the bedroom and shut the door. He grabbed the cleanest washcloth he owned and ran the water until it was hot. Soaking it, Pat carried it back to the blond guy. "Try this."

This time, the man smiled tightly. "Thank you." He gently washed the woman's face and her eyelids fluttered, then opened.

"Steel?"

"I'm here, Sapphire." He continued to wipe her face with the washcloth.

"What happened?" she murmured.

"Our young friend here rescued us." Then Steel apparently considered the statement. "Yes, what did happen?"

"I yelled at the guy and tossed my Coke in his face.

Sapphire spoke to Steel. "Vanadium reacts badly with acid." Then she smiled at Pat and he felt a flush come to his face. She was much older than him, but she was still beautiful. "Thank you. There must have been acid in your drink."

Pat grinned. "Enough to erode enamel and take rust off a pot."

"You saved us," she said as Steel helped her to sit up.

"Yeah, but there's something I don't understand."

"Just one thing?" Steel frowned slightly and Sapphire smiled.

"Be kind, Steel. What don't you understand?"

"That big guy… um, Vanadium? He was beating the sh—heck out of you. Yet I don't see a single bruise and you were unconscious in a snow bank wearing a summer dress and you're fine now."

"Technically, that's two things." Steel walked to the curtain and drew it back. "There's no one there now."

Sapphire dropped her legs over the side of the couch and stood. "Of course not. Why would we stay when we were threatened? They had the upper hand. My first reaction would be to run home and regroup. They are no doubt thinking we left the moment we were capable of it."

"Rather short sided on their part. Transuranics aren't necessarily noted for their strategy. "

"Which is why we stay in control of Time." She brushed her hair from her face. "I imagine you are more confused now."

"Yeah, but I -" The phone rang and Pat looked at his watch.

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

"Nope. It's just my boss telling me that I am fired."

"We cost you your job?"

"No, I did when I had too much to drink New Year's Eve and got arrested for DUI."

"DUI?" Steel looked at Sapphire.

Sapphire's eyes glowed and Pat took and involuntary step back. "Driving under the influence of reality altering chemicals, usually alcohol or drugs." Her eyes returned to normal.

"That's it – one too many beers and now I can't drive, I have a huge fine to pay and no job." He ran a hand through his hair. "What I wouldn't do to have that night to do over."

He missed the look the two others exchanged as a wave a nausea threatened to make his knees buckle. He reached out and grabbed… a bar.

With a start, he looked around and immediately recognized where he was. It was New Year's Eve all over again.

Beside him stood the two strangers. Sapphire stroked his face. "Make better choices and thank you."

Before he could say a word, she and Steel faded from view.

"What will you have?" The bartender plopped a cocktail napkin down in front of him.

"Ah, just some coffee. I have to drive later."

"Got it. And just to let you know whatever you order non-alcoholic is on the house tonight."

"Why's that?"

"We take care of our designated drivers."

With a smile, Pat watched the man move away. His friends were already half toasted. He'd have his work cut out for him in a couple more hours. Glancing up at the TV, he watched as a young man was unceremoniously shoved into a police car, an obviously DUI arrest and Pat grinned.

 _What a terrible way to begin the New Year._


End file.
